Unearth user pain points to drive breakthrough design concepts

Learn how to identify pain points through empathy and as-is scenario mapping. Connect these pain points with existing insights and research to define an actionable problem statement —a needs statement — that focuses on your deliverable’s goal. 

Leverage the needs statements created to generate new, compelling design concepts. Converge and prioritize your designs to yield higher quality solutions, leaving with specific action items for your team to pursue.

Who Should Attend

  • Professionals who want to learn about Design Thinking and effective methods for how to apply it 
  • Professionals who want to improve their planning and facilitation skills for design thinking workshops 

(For a course that’s entirely focused on facilitation skills, consider Faciliting UX Workshops)

What You'll Learn

01 Understand the design thinking philosophy
  • What is design thinking? 
  • Design thinking history and theory
02 Build empathy
  • Make sense of scattered research and insights
  • Understand users through empathy maps
  • As-is scenario (journey) mapping
03 Define the real problem
  • Understand the user’s pain points
  • Pinpoint areas of opportunity
  • Craft meaningful need statements
  • Anatomy of an effective need statement: Who, what, so that
  • How need statements relate to product management and development
04 Explore and ideate
  • Use needs statements to generate big ideas
  • Feature vs. Idea
  • Quick sketching tactics
  • Discuss complex experiences in a distilled manner
  • How to converge and remix
05 Prioritize and evaluate
  • Prioritization grids and affinity maps
  • Evaluate ideas based on importance and feasibility
  • Identify no-brainers vs. big bets
06 Maintain momentum
  • Roadmapping
  • Plan activities
  • Action Items
  • Design thinking and agile
  • Practicing design thinking by yourself

This Course Includes

  • Design thinking case studies
  • Hands-on activities with feedback from the instructor
  • Supplemental resources for continuous learning, including cheat sheets, workshop printouts, and further reading recommendations

Learn from Industry Experts

Why NN/g

What People Say About This Course

  • I cannot wait to take what I learned in this class back to my team. It was lively, refreshing and most of all thought provoking. fantastic.

    Amber
    Keller Williams Realty

  • One of the best courses I attended so far at NNg. Really hands-on and practical. I wish I could spend more time on the ideas generation in my projects. Would definitely make use of the techniques.

    Laura
    KBC Bank NV

  • So you think you know design thinking, wait until you take this course. Fun, comprehensive, engaging, but most of all I feel I've brushed up on my skills, learned some new tips which I can apply back in the office!!!

    Sarah
    Verizon Connect

  • Amazing way to reframe a problem and unlock ideas! It's incredible how a simple word shift (noun to verb) helps tremendously.

    Ruzanna
    Alchemy

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Frequently Asked Questions

How will I get the link to the Zoom meeting for the course?

60 minutes before your course begins, your link will be available when you log into your NN/g profile.

Can I watch a recording of the course?

Virtual courses are live events that extend throughout the day and include many periods of interactive exercises. The learning experience cannot be replicated by simply watching recordings after the event. We will not be making course recordings, and making your own recordings is not permitted.

Will I be able to network and get to know other participants?

You'll join a Slack community for both course-related discussion and networking with fellow participants. You'll also be able to use the Slack workspace before, during, and after the event to maintain your connections. You'll be invited to join the Slack community the week before the event starts.

What equipment will I need to participate in NN/g live online courses?

You'll be streaming video and audio to your computer, and also speaking with other participants. Make sure you have:

  • A laptop or desktop (using a tablet is not recommended)
  • A stable high-speed internet connection
  • Speakers or headphones
  • A microphone
  • A webcam
Do I really need a microphone and webcam?

White it's possible to attend our virtual courses without your own webcam or microphone, you will not be able to fully participate in learning activities. Many of our courses use hands-on practice as the primary way of learning design and research techniques. You'll learn more during these activities if you can fully participate, and your collaboration partners can see and hear you. We also recommend using headphones.

Do I have to download any software?

All courses use Zoom and Hightail, a file-sharing service. Some courses require the use of Google Drive apps or Miro. All tools are free to use and do not require you to create an account, but you should ensure your device permissions allow you to access these tools.

  • Zoom is a video conferencing service. Our meetings follow security best practices, including passwords and waiting rooms. We recommend installing the Zoom app, which is free. If you are not able to install the Zoom software, you can also join through Chrome web browser. Test your access to Zoom.
  • Hightail will be used to share downloadable course materials (such as PDF copies of presentation slides). Test your access to Hightail. (If your network blocks you from access Hightail, during the event our conference team will be able to assist you with alternative ways to receive your course materials.
  • Google Drive apps are used for collaborative learning activities. If you are not able to use Google Docs or Sheets, you will be able to download copies of the activity materials, but may not be able to fully participate in group work. Test your access to Google Docs.
  • Miro is an online whiteboarding tool and is used for collaborative learning activities in some courses. You can download the Miro app or open a Miro link in your browser.
Will my internet connection be fast enough?

You will need a stable internet connection with a minimum of 3 Mbps (up and down) in order o participate in 
NN/g virtual courses. Ideally, a faster connection speed of 25 Mbps download and 5Mbps upload is recommended to ensure HD video and audio quality. If you are using a WIFI network, disconnect all other devices from that network to improve the streaming quality. Check your internet connection speed.

Can I join from my phone or tablet?

We do not recommend attending our classes from a small-screen device. Although you will be able to connect to the meeting, it will be difficult to see the detailed examples shared during class. It will also be extremely difficult to participate in collaborative exercises which require typing and interactive documents.